First Man to Walk on the Moon

Apparently, Neil Armstrong used to go around at parties telling unfunny jokes about the moon. When the other attendees failed to break a grin, Neil would follow up by saying, “ah, I guess you had to be there.” Besides his sense of humor, Neil Armstrong is best known for being the first man to walk on the moon. Armstrong was born and raised in Wapakoneta attending Blume High School. During his teen years he trained to get his pilots license by practicing at the Wapakoneta airfield. He successfully earned his student flight certificate on his 16th birthday and soon began to fly solo. He was able to fly before he even obtained his drivers license. After graduating high school, Armstrong attended Purdue University to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering.

During his time at Purdue, Armstrong enlisted in the Navy as a naval aviator. His first action came in 1951 as part of a mission in the Korean War. Throughout the Korean War, Armstrong had flown in 78 missions logging 120 hours in the air and received various medals and awards. Following the Korean War, Armstrong returned to Purdue to finish his degree.

After landing his bachelors and masters degree, Armstrong worked various jobs in Cleveland and California as a test pilot. In 1958, Armstrong signed up for the U.S. Air Force “Men in Space” program. This led to Armstrong being selected as a NASA astronaut. Armstrong was part of the Gemini and Apollo millions. As part of the Gemini 8 mission, Armstrong became the first civilian to command a U.S. spacecraft. However, Armstrong is most commended for his work on Apollo 11. As part of that mission, on July 20, 1969, Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon.

Following his time in space, Armstrong returned to Ohio, to work as a professor for the University of Cincinnati in the Aerospace Engineering department. Armstrong also acted as a consultant for NASA and product spokesman. After his retirement, Neil and his wife split time in Indian Hill and Lebanon, Ohio before passing away in August of 2012.